The purpose of the Clinical Decision Unit was to aid and support the hospital’s neighbouring Emergency Department by providing continual observation of patients prior to either discharge or admittance, with the aim of preventing inappropriate admittance into the hospital’s main wards.
Our main design objective was to create a fully functioning and efficient ward layout that maximised observation of all 10 patients whilst working within the constraints of the existing 1970s structure. This was achieved by designing a centralised nurse base around which all bedrooms and hub facilities are arranged. This acts as a staff meeting point, offers good patient observation and gives patients a reassuring visual link back to the nurses, which is particularly important if the patient is distressed or disorientated.
